1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of effectively removing dichloromethane from effluent streams of a chemical process and thus to prevent the dichloromethane from entering the environment and more particularly to a method of converting the dichloromethane into a material that is more readily handled by disposal technique.
Dichloromethane is one of the more common laboratory and industrial solvents particularly useful because of its cost, non-flammability and low boiling point. Major users of dichloromethane recycle it, however, inevitably, some of it is lost to the environment.
2. Description of Related Art
The Williamson ether synthesis involves a reaction between a halide and an alkoxide, generally generated from the alcohol with sodium, potassium or other reactive metal. Sodium and potassium hydroxide are generally too weak to significantly deprotonate the alcohol.